Thumb-latch



S. W. PARSONS AND A. D. WATERS.

THUMB LATCH.

APPLICATION FlLED NOVA-1,1916.

Patented Milli 23, 1920.

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STUART W. PARSONS ANT) ARCHIBALD ID. "WATERS, Ull NlE'W' BRITAIN,CONNECTICUT,

AElSTGNOlEtS TO THE STANLEY T lfl'ilitlffi, TIUN Uh CONNECTICUT.

Uli ll l-LWV BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT, .l-l CORPORA- To all whom it mayconcern.-

lle it known that we, Sronu'r VJ. Parsons and Anorrnnrnn D. ll iirnns,citizens of the United Eltates, and residents of New Britain, in thecounty of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain newand useful linproveinents in Thumb-Latches, of which the following is aspecification.

The object of the invention is to produce a device of the characterdescribed in which provision is made for the operation of the latch by athumb piece at both sides of the door. Heretofore the latch has beenoperable by a lifter having a thumb piece on but one side of the door,the other end of the lifter being bent down to form a handle.

Tn the drawings Figure 1 is a view of the device shown in place on adoor.

liig. 9 is a sectional view.

Fi 3 showing the position of the parts when the thumb piece is beingused to raise the latch.

Fig. f is a rear view of one face plate showing in transverse sectionthe nested lifter bars.

Figs. 5 and 6 are detail perspective views showing the manner ofassembling the lifter bars with their thumb pieces in the face plates.

Referring to the drawings-rl denotes a door, and B, a door frame. is theface plate of the latch. l), the latch bar pivoted as at cl. it is astrap fastened to the door near its edge to hold the bar D rigidly inplace but permitting of its up and down lllOVQll'lQ-ll't. h is thekeeper on the door fran'ie with which the latch bar is engaged and fromwhich it is disengaged by lifter bars, the particular construction of.which will be hereinafter described.

By reference to Figs. 9. and 3, it will be seen that there are similarface plates C, C, on both sides of the door. denotes one lifter barhaving the thumb piece 6 at its outer end. This lifter bar has a rockingsupport in the face plate C and extends through the door through anaperture in the opposite faceplate G and underlies the latch bar D. Aswill be seen from Figs. 4. and 5, the lifter bar 5 is of Ushape in crosssection. The second lifter bar 1.0 has a rocking support in the faceplate C and fits within the U-shaped lifter bar 5, as clearly seen inFigs. 2, 3 and 4:. The outer Specification of Letters Patent.

is a view similar to 2, but

Patented Mar. 23, 192%.

Application filed ltloveniher 1d, 1916. Serial No. 131,333.

end of the lifter bar 10 is shaped into the thumb pi ce 11.

By reference to Figs. 2 and 3, it will be apparent that when the thumbpiece 6 is operated, the lifter bar 5 will raise the latch l), actingdirectly on it; and that when the thumb piece 11 is operated, the lifterbar 10, fitted within the lifter bar 5, will raise the lifter bar 5 andso raise the latch D.

This arrangement provides a finished trim for each side of the door andpermits of the operation of the latch bar by a thumb piece at eitherside of the door.

Notches, 220, are formed in the lower edge of the lifter bars by spacedoutwardly bent projections 21, and these notches fit down onto the edgeof apertures in the face plates to provide the rocking support for thelifter bars. In order to assemble these lifter bars with their faceplates and hold them in position against accidental withdrawal, theapertures are enhirged at their upper edges and the latch bars areinserted upside down, as clearly seen in Fig. 6, and then when thenotches are brought into registering position with the edge of theaperture the lifter ha may be turned to right-side-up position, asclearly seen in Fig. 5.

Uwing to the fact that doors vary in thickness, it is desirable to havethe lifter bar 5, which is the direct actuator for the latch bar B,longitudinally adjustable through the face plate by providing a plurality of notches 20.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, we havedescribed the principle of operation of our invention, together with theapparatus which we now consider to represent the best embodimentthereof; but we d sire to have it understood that the apparatus shown isonly illustrative, and that the invention can be carried out by othermeans.

We claim as our invention 1. fl latch including a plate having anaperture therethrough and adapted to be secured to one face of a door,said aperture bein enlarged at a portion thereof, a latch bar adapted tobe pivotally mounted on the opposite face of said door, and a rockahleactuator for said loar extending through said aperture and having spacedlateral projections to normally engage the opposite sides of the plateadjacent the aperture and there by prevent removal of the actuator fromthe plate, said projections being of a form to pass through the enlargedportion of the aperture When the actuator is partially rotated from itsnormal operative position relative to the plate whereby said actuatormay be removed froin'the plate.

2. A latch including a plate having an aperture therethrough and adaptedto be secured to one face of a door, said aperture being enlarged at itsupper portion, a latch bar adapted to be pivotally mounted on theopposite face of said door, and a channelsha-ped rockable actuator forsaid bar eX- tending through said aperture and having spaced lateralprojections extending from the longitudinal edges thereof to normallyengage the opposite sides of the plate adjacent the aperture and therebyprevent removal of the actuator from the plate, said projectionsbeing-oi a form to pass through the enlarged upper portion of theaperture when the actuator is partially rotated from its normaloperative position 1.

